A Weekend Away This past Tuesday was a holiday for Ecuador...Labor Day...so schools were closed.  We thought this would be a great opportunity to travel someplace we hadn't been yet.  After much research and consideration we decided on Mindo, Ecuador.  We found a hostel to stay at for $16/night, figured out a bus schedule and began packing.  Up and at'em early Saturday morning to catch the 8:20 bus out of Quito.  When we arrived at the bus station they first handed us a piece of paper and told us that the road to Mindo was closed between 8-2 due to road construction caused by a small rock/mud slide.  We were devastated.  A few minutes later the bus driver said that since there were so many people that he would try it and if it took longer than the 2 hours it normally would, well, that was ok with him!  How much was the bus fare you ask...$2.50!  WHAT!? So cheap!  We had no problems with the construction.  The road was open when we came to that part and we arrived Mindo safe and sound. We had a wonderful time there!  In fact, on Monday as we were packing our things to leave, we decided to stay ONE MORE DAY!    This place represented everything I thought Ecuador would be.  The cloud forest, waterfalls, and village were beautiful!  We were surrounded by the forest.  While we were there we took a cable car across the cloud forest and hiked to a waterfall.  We zip lined across Mindo Cloud Forest.  We took a walk through an orchid garden, filled with butterflies, and then rested in a hammock listening to the hum of the hummingbirds that surrounded us.  This was the first time since we've been here that we truly felt independent! It was so nice to walk around the village alone and not worry about being robbed or kidnapped!  We were able to take our iPhones out and take pictures-something we've been told not to do in Quito!!  We loved every minute and we can't wait to go back if we can!

Welcome to May!!

My time here is moving quickly and I still feel like there's so much to learn, see, and do!   A new month brings a new pillar of character - and this month is Trustworthiness.  The students will focus on *working by themselves and *have the courage to do the right thing. On the board Tisa has written Trustworthiness and listed several ways to show how to be a trustworthy character! These six pillars are similar to the 7 Habits and The Leader in Me! Chow!!

The More They Seem the Same!

The longer I am in the classroom the more they seem the same!  Having this cultural experience has shown me that although we live miles apart, students are students and their behaviors are not very different.  The classroom here is very similar to ours in the States. We have high frequency words listed on the walls, the number line, alphabet, long vowel word charts, etc.  The students are placed at tables with either 4 or 5 students at each.  The biggest difference is that the students call the teachers by their first name!? Very different from the States.  Also, the conversation is louder than we would prefer in a classroom.  Tisa uses a call and response of   "1,2,3 eyes on me" and the students are supposed to stop what they are doing and say "1,2 eyes on you!"  They don't always stop the first time as they don't really have any consequences.  This week the pillar they are concentrating on is Fairness.  A new behavior/reward chart has been placed at each table.  Each student needs to earn 1 hand each day in responsibility and fairness this week, then 1 each of the other pillars for a total of 14 hands.  There will be a reward at the end of the week.   The students are called to the rug or carpet for instruction and then released to their tables for instruction.  

First Week Coming to an End!

Today is the last day of my first week at Colegio Menor. I have fallen in love with the school, the students and the staff! These children are lucky to be a part of Colegio Menor. The students are required to speak English at school, but you can imagine after a 2 week break how difficult this has been for them this week! The teacher, Tisa, was lenient with them the first of the week, but now they are marking tallies if they are heard speaking in Spanish. They are very fluent in English, but Spanish is their native tongue and what is spoke at home! We only have the students until 11:40 today and then they have lunch, recess, art, and Spanish...this happens several days a week. They had centers this morning for an hiur, then break. Needless to say there is a lot of "free time" for the teachers!! Nice, right?? Fridays we leave at 2:45 instead of 3:45. Today we are having a celebration of teachers at a local restaurant/pub. Last week was Teacher Appreciation Day, so the school is celebrating tonight! Free food, drinks, and transportation! Tomorrow we head to our host moms school for family day and then to Octavalo to the huge market and we are spending the night! Looking forward to loading up on purchases for everyone back home! Everybody says this is the place to buy beautiful gifts at great prices! Chow!

Colegio Menor ....El primer día

Colegio Menor ... I'm in love! The school is so beautiful inside and out! I told my teacher if she could see the schools in the states she would feel closed in! There is fresh air circulating through the hallways and courtyards throughout the school. I woke up early today after a not-so-good night's sleep - probably because of the anxiety and anticipation about my first day in my 3rd placement of student teaching! Emily and I walked just up the street to the bus stop and waited for our "teacher bus" to pick us up. As promised at around 7:28 "Galo" our bus driver arrived. To our surprise, the bus was full of American teachers that had done their student teaching here at Colegio Menor and then either stayed or came back to teach at Colegio Menor! They were so nice and we were relieved to have them to show us where to go when we walked into the school. Immediately I was stunned by the beauty of the grounds - green and lush, palm trees and flowers everywhere! LOVE IT! We were greeted by Tim Long the primary principal and he quickly gave us a tour of the school. Oh, and by the way - we were way overdressed ;)! The teachers wear jeans and trendy clothes - but not formal or business dress. Emily is teaching 4th grade and her classroom was upstairs. After we dropped her off Tim took me down to my classroom .... ROSSINI ... is the classroom nickname. I walked into the classroom to the sound of students speaking in English and Spanish. Everyone was so excited to see each other as they have been on spring break for TWO weeks! I was so overwhelmed with excitement and joy and the experience that I "welled" up a bit and had to turn away and collect myself! (I'm a sap ... my husband says that I can cry reading the newspaper ... he's right!) I immediately fell in love with each of the 22 students. I've learned most of their names already and can actually pronounce them! Their day is somewhat different than ours in the states. We had morning work, community time (which was sharing our spring break stories and talking about the calendar - the students had traveled all over the world on spring break - several went to Casa Blanca, Cancun, Rome, Miami - it was incredible to hear of all the places that were visited! It was then time for break - the kids went by themselves to the playground and courtyards to play and have a snack if they wanted to. After break was Reading, then Writing - then lunch and recess. After recess we had Math and then the students went to P.E. and Music so we were done teaching for the day. We had a team meeting - which I loved - it was a lot like the team meetings the 2nd grade teachers had at T.C. Cherry! At the end of the day, Emily and I found our American teacher friends and they directed us to the correct bus. A quick ride home and we survived our 1st day! I can't wait to meet my teacher tomorrow. She was traveling back today from Vancouver so she was not in the classroom today - her aide Ale taught instead.

Catching up!

Hola! It's been a couple of days since I posted anything and I apologize! Time is slipping past me and we were so busy over the weekend! I have not been able to get pictures to upload yet, but we have been able to post to Facebook so I hope you're viewing them through that source. OK - Friday we made it to Papallacta and it was absolutely amazing! We were told that it was nice - but this was not nice - it was BREATHTAKING! On Saturday we went with Lucita and her friend Helen to Lucita's family farm. This time of year they have a soup to celebrate Easter - it's called fanesca. Made with 12 different grains (one for each of the apostles). It's a huge family gathering and the soup (fanesca) is served with fried bananas, empanidas, and bread. DELISH I tell you! Not only was the experience of the soup delightful - the entire experience was! The farm is well over 100 years old and is a working milk farm. One of only two here in Ecuador that produce milk for the country. The surrounding land is some of the most beautiful land I have ever seen! The lillies grow wild here and they are soooo tall! The farm was surrounded by gardens and so many different flowers and trees. GORGEOUS! Then there was the family ... so very generous to have invited us to come with Lucita - as well as welcoming to us! When we first arrived we mingled a bit and ate some snacks - olives, cheese, salsa and chips. Lucita's cousin Helena then took us on a tour of the farm. The calves were sooo cute and were each tagged with a birthdate and name ;) wish the pictures would post - but check out facebook and you'll see how beatiful everything was there. After the tour it was time to eat. The dining room was set with several tables and we were served at our seats. When dinner and dessert was finished - we were entertained by Lucita's friends and family. They played guitar and sang for hours. We have been invited back to stay in a couple of weeks. SO VERY, VERY, VERY KIND!

If at first you don't succeed, try try again!

Yesterday Emily and I ventured to Papallacta with a friend of Lucita's who doesn't speak any English. The car ride was going great until our driver pointed to the side of the rocky steep side wall and said "accident". Sure enough moments later we were stopped. A semi carrying a lot of cargo had wrecked and was blocking the road. We sat for a while and eventually decided to turn back because it was going to be a long time. So today we are trying again! I am absolutely in love with Ecuador and Ecuadorian culture and people! The family unit has such a strong bond and I am so thankful for our host mom Lucita and her Friends and family who have been so kind and welcoming. A kiss on the cheek hello and goodbye is custom and I find it so friendly and warm! Friends in the states lookout, I think I'm going to bring this custom home ;)!